A lesson from Mother Nature
On a routine inspection of the vegetable garden at the governor's mansion, I was horrified to find that the tomato plant in one of the containers was covered with mealy bugs. First off, I had never seen mealy bugs on a tomato plant. Now, they were here at the mansion. My head started spinning wondering what to do. I brought nothing to combat these fuzzy foes. And this is the mansion! It has to be perfect, right?
I took a deep breath to compose myself and put on my detective's cap. Of the four containers we planted, all had a tomato plant. All but one had herbs and flowers to attract beneficial insects. The other had a mesclun mix and a sweet potato vine planted with it. This particular container was also the one with the least amount of sun. And, you guessed it, the one with the mealy bugs. Just coincidence? I think not.
Since I had no weapons of mealy bug destruction, I knew I had to return later with a game plan. As it turns out, I could not get back for two days. I returned with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a whole pack of cotton balls and a spray bottle with soapy water. Once again, panic set in. How much damage can mealy bugs do in two days? Should I have brought a hazardous materials suit like the fire department wears? Maybe I should have brought new plants as replacements. Do you think anyone would notice if I just repotted the container?
As I turned the corner, I expected to see one big massive mealy bug ball of fuzz. To my surprise, I could still see a tomato plant, a sweet potato vine and mesclun mix. When I got up close, I could still see mealy bugs but there was no additional damage. I armed myself with the alcohol and cotton balls and went to work. Somehow, I found great pleasure in eradicating them one by one.
Wait a minute, why does that one look so funny? Then it hit me. As a Master Gardener, I find myself at plant clinics telling people not to panic. Beneficial insects will come. I took a break from my high speed killing frenzy to once again make a thorough examination. I discovered an army of lacewing nymphs happily consuming my fuzzy little nightmares. They were grabbing them by the throat and sucking the life out of them. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic but I suffered through two days of agony because of those mealy bugs.
Although the nymphs were doing a fine job, I still could not resist wiping out a few more on my own. Sorry fellas, you can't have them all!
I took a deep breath to compose myself and put on my detective's cap. Of the four containers we planted, all had a tomato plant. All but one had herbs and flowers to attract beneficial insects. The other had a mesclun mix and a sweet potato vine planted with it. This particular container was also the one with the least amount of sun. And, you guessed it, the one with the mealy bugs. Just coincidence? I think not.
Since I had no weapons of mealy bug destruction, I knew I had to return later with a game plan. As it turns out, I could not get back for two days. I returned with a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a whole pack of cotton balls and a spray bottle with soapy water. Once again, panic set in. How much damage can mealy bugs do in two days? Should I have brought a hazardous materials suit like the fire department wears? Maybe I should have brought new plants as replacements. Do you think anyone would notice if I just repotted the container?
As I turned the corner, I expected to see one big massive mealy bug ball of fuzz. To my surprise, I could still see a tomato plant, a sweet potato vine and mesclun mix. When I got up close, I could still see mealy bugs but there was no additional damage. I armed myself with the alcohol and cotton balls and went to work. Somehow, I found great pleasure in eradicating them one by one.
Wait a minute, why does that one look so funny? Then it hit me. As a Master Gardener, I find myself at plant clinics telling people not to panic. Beneficial insects will come. I took a break from my high speed killing frenzy to once again make a thorough examination. I discovered an army of lacewing nymphs happily consuming my fuzzy little nightmares. They were grabbing them by the throat and sucking the life out of them. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic but I suffered through two days of agony because of those mealy bugs.
Although the nymphs were doing a fine job, I still could not resist wiping out a few more on my own. Sorry fellas, you can't have them all!
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